Number of Armenian employees at Glendale City Hall skyrockets 83%

June 30, 2012 - 15:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - While diversity at Glendale City Hall has increased over the past 10 years, the number of whites continues to dominate the top of the totem pole, according to a biennial report on city employee demographics.

But even at the top, it’s slowly shifting. “The bottom line is that the organization is changing,” said Human Resources Director Matt Doyle.

About 61% of 301 managers and executives in 2011 were white, according to the report issued in May. But that proportion was higher in 2002 at about 70%.

At the same time, whites have decreased across the entire workforce roughly 20% to 933 since 2002. That decline may continue as employees 55 and older - the majority of which are white - retire.

Conversely, other races and ethnicities are on the rise.

Latinos jumped 12% over the decade to 623 and made up about 14% of top-level employees in the last year. Asian/Pacific Islanders increased 23% to 202 over the same period and made up about 11% of managers and executives in 2011.

Armenian numbers skyrocketed approximately 83% to 362 since 2002. Armenians made up about 8% of the highest-ranking positions held in 2011.

Armenians are counted separately from whites, even though Armenians are considered Caucasian because “the Armenian demographic is such a significant part of the fabric of this community,” Doyle said.

While Glendale employees are more racially diverse, the workforce is less equal when it comes to gender. About 70% of the workforce was male in 2011, a slight uptick from 68% in 2002.

The city report attributes the gender imbalance to application rates.

“The higher percentage of males to females in the workforce is attributed to a large number of positions that women have historically not applied for,” such as fire, public works and police departments, according to the report.

More women tend to work, and hold higher positions, in the city attorney and city clerk offices, as well as the Human Resources Department.

Even with less hiring planned for the future, Doyle said the organization may experience demographic shifts as people leave the city.

About 85 employees are expected to retire and 12 to 16 may be laid off due to a budget shortfall. The city plans to limit back-filling positions vacated by retirees, but maintaining diversity will continue to be a priority.

“I think without a doubt you’ll see an increasingly diverse workforce that is more reflective of the community we serve,” Doyle said, Glendale News-Press reported.